New Mexico fishing report — Feb. 27

February 26, 2014

This fishing report, provided by Bill Dunn and the Department of Game and Fish, has been generated from the best information available from area officers and anglers. Conditions encountered after the report is compiled may differ, as stream, lake and weather conditions alter fish and angler activities.

Northeast

Charette Lakes: Open for the season March 1.Cimarron River: Keep this water on your list for spring. Low water conditions this time of year make for some tough fishing.Clayton Lake: Opens for the season March 1 with sufficient water for launching boats.Conchas Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.Coyote Creek: We had no reports from anglers this week.Eagle Rock Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.Eagle Nest Lake: As of this past Sunday there was still ice in the neck area of the lake as well as Six Mile but the rest of the lake was open to bank fishing. Fishing for trout was good using Power Bait, salmon eggs and worms. Fishing for perch was fair using worms. We had no reports on other species. For updated conditions, contact the State Park office at (575) 377-1594.Lake Alice: The lake is free of ice and open for bank fishing. We had no reports from anglers this week.Lake Maloya: The ice started coming off this past week and has opened about half the lake for shoreline fishing. Fishing was good using assorted colors of power eggs, Power Bait and bead-head wooly buggers for trout up to 20 inches. For updated conditions, contact the State Park office at (575) 445-5607.Los Pinos: We had no reports from anglers this week.Manzano Lake: Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait.Maxwell Lake 13: Opens for the season March 1.Monastery Lake: Fishing was very good using Power Bait, salmon eggs and Pistol Petes for trout. Morphy Lake: Closed for the season.Pecos River: Water flow near Anton Chico on Monday was 33 cfs. The Mora and Jamie Koch fishing and recreation areas have reopened. The Bert Clancy and Terrero campgrounds remain closed. Trout fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs and Power Bait.Red River: Water flow near the hatchery on Monday was 33 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.Rio Grande: Water flow near the Taos Junction Bridge on Monday was 727 cfs. Fishing was slow for all species.Rio Mora: We had no reports from anglers this week.Rio Pueblo: We had no reports from anglers this week.Santa Barbara: We had no reports from anglers this week.Shuree Ponds: Closed for the season.Springer Lake: We had no reports from anglers.Storrie Lake: Trout fishing was slow to fair using Power Bait. Fishing pressure was very light again this past week. The lake was free of ice.Ute Lake: Fishing pressure was light but the few anglers out on the water caught limits of walleye. They were using slab spoons and blade baits in 45 to 50 feet of water. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp ranged from the low to mid 40s.

Northwest

Abiquiu Lake: Fishing was described as slow but improving as anglers managed to catch a few brown and rainbow trout. They were trolling crank baits. A few catfish were caught by anglers using stink bait on trotlines. We had no reports on other species.Animas River: Water flow near Aztec on Monday morning was 224 cfs.We had no reports from anglers this week.Albuquerque Area Drains: Trout fishing was good for anglers using worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, egg pattern flies and wooly buggers. Anglers reported good trout fishing on the Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Belen and Peralta drains. We had no reports on other species.Bluewater Lake: As of this past weekend the lake was completely free of ice and the boat ramp was open. Fishing was good using Rapalas, jerk baits, spoons and deceivers for 25 to 37-inch tiger muskies. On Sunday, Mick Kitchen and Justin Irwin caught and released 40 tiger muskies measuring from 30 to 37 inches. They were using 4-inch chrome and black Rapalas. We had no reports on other species. Anglers should be aware that it is illegal to use bait fish at this lake.Brazos River: We had no reports from anglers this week.Canjilon Lakes: We had no reports from anglers this week.Chama River: Monday morning water flows below El Vado and Abiquiu were 50 cfs and 65 cfs respectively. Trout fishing below Abiquiu was fair using San Juan worms, egg patterns, small wooly buggers and worms. Trout fishing below El Vado was fair to good using small bead-head nymphs, salmon eggs and Panther Martins for a mixed bag of browns and rainbows.Cochiti Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.El Vado Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week. The main area of the State Park has closed until March 31 but there is still fishing access and open water near the dam.Fenton Lake:Hot spot for trout! Fishing was very good from boats and from the bank this past week. Anglers fishing from boats reported catching a large number of fish while trolling olive Pistol Petes at the edge of the ice. Fishing from the bank was very good for anglers using green sparkle and garlic scented Power Bait. For updated conditions, contact the State Park office at (575) 829-3630. Heron Lake: The only ice remaining on the lake this past weekend was at the north end. Bank fishing was fair using Power Bait and salmon eggs for a mixed bag of rainbow trout and small lake trout. We had no reports on kokanee.Jackson Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.Jemez Waters: The Jemez River was flowing at 26 cfs on Monday. Trout fishing on the Jemez was fair using wooly bugger and salmon eggs. We had no reports from the other area streams. The Valles Caldera has been closed to fishing for the winter but should be back up and running next spring.Laguna del Campo: Closed for the season.Lake Farmington: Trout fishing was fair to good using Power Bait, salmon eggs and spinners. We had no reports on other species.Navajo Lake: Fishing was slow to fair using Power Bait, Pistol Petes and Panther Martin spinners for trout. Fishing was slow for all other species but there were a few smallmouth bass and northern pike caught by anglers using crank baits. The surface water temp was in the low to mid 40s.San Gregorio: We had no reports from anglers this week.San Juan River: Water flow below Navajo Dam on Monday was 314 cfs and still quite stained. Fishing through the Quality Waters was good using black leeches, red larva, bright colored egg patterns, San Juan worms and dark streamers. Through the bait waters trout fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs, Power Bait, night crawlers and wooly buggers.Santa Cruz Lake: Trout fishing was slow to fair using Pistol Petes, bead-head wooly buggers, salmon eggs and Power Bait. We had no reports on other species.Seven Springs Brood Pond: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Tingley Beach: Trout fishing at the Youth and Central Ponds was very good for anglers using homemade dough baits, Power Bait, olive and brown wooly buggers and Pistol Petes. Fishing at the Catch and Release Pond was fair using small streamers and egg patterns.

Southwest

Bear Canyon: Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs, worms, Power Bait, Pistol Petes and spinners.Bill Evans Lake: Trout fishing was fair to good using Power Bait, Pistol Petes and salmon eggs. We had no reports on other species.Caballo Lake: Fishing was fair to good using crank baits and jig and grub combinations for white bass. Anglers fishing for white bass also reported catching a few walleye on the east side of the lake. We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp was in the low to mid 50s.Elephant Butte Lake: Fishing was slow to fair trolling white Bomber crank baits for white bass. Fishing was fair to good using minnows, cut bait and stink bait for catfish. We had no reports on other species. The Marina Del Sur, Rock Canyon and Dam Site marinas are open. The surface water temp was in the low to mid 50s.Escondida Lake: Trout fishing was fair to good using Power Bait, homemade dough bait, salmon eggs and Pistol Petes.Gila River: Water flow on the Gila as of this past Monday was 75 cfs. We had no reports from anglers.Glenwood Pond: Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs and Power Bait. Lake Roberts: A construction project to improve the dam has begun and extremely low lake levels make it increasingly difficult to fish. The project is expected to continue into next summer. The lake is still open to bank fishing but difficult to access.Percha Dam: We had no reports from anglers this week.Rio Grande: Water flow below Elephant Butte on Monday was .00 cfs. Fishing was slow for all species.Snow Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.

Young Pond: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, Pistol Petes and salmon eggs. We had no reports on other species.

Southeast

Bataan Lake: Trout fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs, garlic scented Power Bait, homemade dough bait and Pistol Petes.Black River: Stream flow at Malaga on Monday was 4.1 cfs. We had no reports from anglers this week.Blue Hole Park Pond: Trout fishing was fair using salmon eggs and Power Bait.Bonito Lake: Closed.Bosque Redondo: We had no reports from anglers this week.Bottomless Lakes: Trout fishing at the Devil’s Inkwell was fair to good using rainbow and chartreuse Power Bait.Brantley Lake: Anglers are to practice catch-and-release for all fish here as high levels of DDT were found in several fish.Carlsbad Municipal Lake: The water level has been lowered for shoreline and dock work. The winter trout stocking has been diverted to Bataan Lake.Chaparral Park Lake: Trout fishing was fair using Power Bait, salmon eggs and Pistol Petes.El Rito Creek: Trout fishing was very good using salmon eggs, Power Bait, Pistol Petes, small spinners and homemade dough baits.Eunice Lake: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, salmon eggs and corn.Green Meadow Lake: Fishing was fair using Power Bait and homemade dough bait for trout.Greene Acres Lake: We had no reports from anglers this week.Grindstone Reservoir: Hot spot for trout! Trout fishing was very good with several limits caught by anglers using worms, salmon eggs, corn, Power Bait, spinners and small crank baits.Jal Lake: Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs and Power Bait.Lake Van: Trout fishing was good using Power Bait, worms, homemade dough bait, Pistol Petes and salmon eggs. We had no reports on other species.Oasis Park Lake: Trout fishing was very good using homemade dough bait, Power Bait and Pistol Petes.Pecos River: Stream flow below Sumner Lake on Monday was 13 cfs. Fishing was slow to fair using Power Bait and spinners for trout. We had no reports on other species.Perch Lake: Trout fishing was very good using Power Bait, spinners and Pistol Petes.Ruidoso River: Stream flow at Hollywood on Monday was 4.4 cfs. Trout fishing was fair to good using salmon eggs and worms.Santa Rosa Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. The water was reported as quite murky.Sumner Lake: Fishing was slow for all species. We received reports from serious walleye anglers who tried everything but the kitchen sink without a single bite.